


Camelot Glass, Part One

by rachelautumn



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: F/M, First Time Bottoming, Infidelity, M/M, Public Sex, Rimming
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-19
Updated: 2013-07-19
Packaged: 2017-12-20 17:10:12
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,026
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/889769
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rachelautumn/pseuds/rachelautumn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Arthur has given up all his bad habits for Gwen, but now that he's poised to take over his Dad's  company, it might just be his wild side that allows him to be who he needs to be if he's going to rule Camelot Glass.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Camelot Glass, Part One

Ch. 1

When Uther Pendragon inherited Camelot industries they still made glass there. Elegant brick buildings belched smoke straight out over the harbor. Parks and row houses made for the company's employees circled the top of the hill, growing in size and importance as they climbed away from the industry below. It was a feudal world where everyone to do with the glass worked and lived around it; factory workers, artisans, company execs and the shop keepers and sailors who labored among them.   
Now the elegant brick buildings, the townhouses and airy showrooms still hovered over the hill and sea like the claws of some dragon about to snatch it up, but by in large it was just real estate. Strangers paid rent which funded the new business, venture capital. By the time Arthur joined his father at Pendragon industry, there was only one forge that made the blue and brown and green glass for which Camelot had once been famous.

Arthur never told his father the real reason he picked the town house only half way up the hill. He lied and said it was to please Gwen. Gwen didn't like the empty splendor of the Georgian mansion where he'd grown up. "Can't hug the sea view," She'd said. It was so like Gwen, who'd grown up down below where her father had a jewelry shop. She was down to earth and lovely and basically made Arthur's life worth living. But he didn't live there for her

The fact was Arthur loved the glass. Not what it looked like, or how it was made, though he loved all those things too. He loved the idea of making something you could hold in your hand. He was good at managing and directing; he'd been top of his class at the School of Economics, not least because of his magic touch with team-building, but he longed to bring together artists and metal workers and not just clones of himself, hoping to be him, hating him, wearing suits that weren't quite as good. That's why he picked the medium sized row house half way up the hill. He could still see the glow of the glass forge from here. And he had dreams for it.

Arthur ran up the park steps two at a time. he'd pay for it later, but it was worth it to squeeze in a few more minutes with Gwen before she had to go to the night shift at the hospital uptown. It wasn't often light enough to take the shortcut through the park that ran up like a zipper through the whole Camelot complex. He'd cut out of work early once he'd had his idea. He'd paused at the door of his office just long enough to fetch the ring box where he'd been hiding it before dashing out the door and running in his work clothes.

He was going to revolutionize solar powered design. It wasn't really his idea of course. He'd poured through design journals and industry magazines and anything he could find on the science of the materials of solar panels until he'd found something that was just parts, a bunch of clueless geniuses looking for a leader. He would have to get most of the components from China, of course, or it wouldn't pay, but there would be jobs at Camelot too. He was going to build things here at home. He was going to make more forges, at least metaphorically speaking. Then, once they had some solar panel factories going, they could afford to make some small edition glassworks from the old forges themselves. The compound would live again and best of all, it would impress Gwen.

He knew Gwen had some reservations about him. Sometimes she said things about money hatching money as if venture capitalists were breeding bugs. But these new solar panels would make green energy affordable for ordinary people. And he knew she loved the glass forge as much as he did. She would have that shine in her eyes, when he told her about his plan, the one that had made him fall for her in the first place. And Lance, Mr. Greenpeace would love it. Things had been strained between him and his best friend lately. Arthur couldn't wait to tell him. They would call him together, once they were engaged

The late afternoon sun always caught his bedroom at this hour. Now as Arthur opened the door, it filtered through the classic Camelot stain glass, laying stripes of red and blue and green on the man in his bed. The colors intensified the glow of his skin, and reflected off the sweaty sheen on his buttocks and the sculpted planes of his back. God he's beautiful, Arthur thought to himself for a moment, just the microsecond before the dark head shifted and he saw Gwen's face tipped toward the man, all shadows but still obviously in a rictus of pleasure. Arthur cried out and the man raised his head to the sound. Arthur was already turning to run. He couldn't bear to find out if there was more shame or triumph in Lance's eyes.

Arthur had always looked up to Lance. It was Lance who had encouraged him to value his dreams for the glass forge as more than a little boy's fantasy. It was Lance who had kept him company when he worried about his sister and who had listened to his first tentative criticisms of his father, never vituperative, never crass, always listening, even though Arthur knew Lance despised the man. It was Lance who had stepped aside when Gwen showed her favor for Arthur, so noble, so honorable. It was too good to be true. Arthur should have known. And now his broken trust for his best friend bled back through all the things he had shown Arthur how to like in himself until Artthur no longer knew which of them he hated more.

He tripped his way back down the hill, grateful he could find his way blind, since his eyes would not work. He hurried to make it back to his office before any tears spilled. There were a few places he had cried before, as a lonely boy, in and around the hill and the harbor, but none where he had not been with Lance or Gwen. They weren't safe places anymore. And he didn't dare go home, not yet.

Arthur threw himself into his office chair, waiting for his breath to even out in this place he associated with calm and discipline. For the first time, Arthur understood how it could be work that was the refuge and home you had to steel yourself to enter. It gave him some insight into his father. He didn't like having insight into his father, that son-of-a-bitch. Money grubbing, patronizing bastard that he was. Vaguely he remembered some therapist telling him to seek out these uncomfortable moments of connection. He was supposed to hold those kind of porcupine thoughts closer until they dropped their spines the guy had said. Arthur snorted, feeling the familiar scorn dry his eyes. His hands were still shaking though. He tapped in his pocket for a cigarette before remembering that he didn't smoke anymore. He'd given it up for Gwen. 

Gwen. Who didn't love him. Who didn't even respect him enough to tell him so. He remembered the stunned joy he'd felt that she had chosen him. He'd always thought Lance was better than him, more untainted, more generous. Lance wasn't a spoilt rich kid, partying his way through school. He'd earned his place with a scholarship and still found time to volunteer. Yeah, Arthur had scarcely believed she wanted him instead when they both fell for her. God he was a fool to let down his guard like that. Of course she made the right choice. She was nobody's fool, his Gwen. Only maybe it might have been nice if she hadn't led him on first, lied to him, so he had to find out like that, had to be afraid of what he felt when he saw his own bed. 

The pain hit him with a physical intensity he'd only read about before, a constriction that was, yes, actually located in his heart and was accompanied by a heaving in his gut. Arthur thought about puking; something inevitable and awful was approaching his vulnerable body, but it was not the release of puke but the return of hate, that old friend, another thing he thought he'd given up. He felt it encase him again, but it didn't give him the satisfaction it once had. since he knew he loved Lance and Gwen, that left in the fabric of his being only one person to truly hate, himself. For a moment he contemplated eliminating the source of the problem before smacking the thought away. He wished it was because he didn't want to be selfish, that he didn't want to burden Gwen with guilt or deprive Morgana of her only family, but the truth was he was too ambitious to off himself. He was his father's son, after all.

It wouldn't do. The idea was still a good idea. The ring - did he still have it? good- had still cost 10,000 pounds and Arthur was still Arthur. He'd just done with the happiness lark that was all. And high-functioning miserable? Arthur had the Phd in that. He'd won the fucking world cup. He knew how this worked. 

Rule one distraction. Arthur knew a place where they would keep you high all night and let you down easy so you weren't even hung over in the morning. There were always beautiful people there to dance with and special patrons had keys to the back of the club. No doubt the venue had changed since the last time he went there two years ago, but he knew who to ask for the address. There at least he'd be welcome He and Morgana had been King and Queen of the scene before he met Gwen. Arthur stopped mid-stride, on his way to dig his emergency clubbing outfit from where he'd stashed it two summers ago. Shaking all over again he sat back down.

He'd met Gwen at the hospital that night because Morgana had overdosed. His half sister, always so much stronger than him, more honest than him just hadn't had his resistance to the drugs. She was OK now and he wasn't going to mess with that even if it meant he was playing bingo with the pensioners from now on. So no distraction just yet.

Arthur stopped fighting the pain and let it flow. He knew it wasn't sustainable, but for a while he let himself just see what had happened without trying to defend himself from the onslaught. He was struck that the image that kept swimming before his eyes wasn't Gwen. It was Lance, the way he'd looked so beautiful when he was just a man, before Arthur recognized him. Was it possible he was a little attracted to Lance? 

OK so it wasn't a complete surprise. He supposed he'd always noticed good looking men, just considered it private information. Arthur had never slept with any of the men who had hit on him in his partying days, maybe had a couple of wank fantasies. But he'd left it at that. Too much trouble. It would be an open invitation to be dismissed by his father.

His father never made any secret of the fact that he considered Arthur less of a man than he should be. You never had to fight, he would say, never had to shed blood like I had to, when the industry died and I saved Camelot glass. You worry too much about what you look like, he'd said, a real man isn't pretty. A real man goes to the party till he finds the girl and has done with it. Only girls make a career of dressing up and going out and "let's be honest, Arthur, debs can't get away with fucking half the dance floor." Arthur could only imagine what he would have said if Arthur had expressed an interest in fucking the whole dance floor. 

In the end, Arthur had learned he liked a fight. He liked making a goal on the field or wresting concessions from people in board rooms, making them stink under their suits. His father had laid off the nancy boy comments and stuck to criticizing Arthur for what he did and not for what he was or wasn't. He'd finally accepted Arthur as a virile man. No, there was never a good time for exploring that side of Arthur.

Unless it was now. Now he wasn't going to get married. Now with this idea he had outgrown his father's shadow. He knew he was the driving force behind Camelot Industries. Who gave a shit what the old man thought anymore? Actually if it slagged him off that was even better. It was a gift in a way, that he'd had that little epiphany about Lance's perfect fucking bare back. So he wanted distraction? Well what could be better than having someone else, someone as different from Gwen as it was possible to be?  
He'd heard there was a lot of easy sex to be had at even ordinary gay clubs. The idea was ...intriguing. It would be much more distracting than the floating party he had already grown bored of before he'd taken that trip in the ambulance with Morgana. Arthur felt his bad boy grin on his face as he reached for the club outfit again. Sex had always been his distraction of choice anyway. He'd deal with the shattered remains of his life in the morning. He gave his father, his former best friend and his almost fiancee the same brief text. I need to talk to you. None of those fuckers deserved anymore than that. Now it was off his plate. He was going out, a different person entirely than they all thought they knew.

Ch. 2

Merlin Emrys dreaded looking at his student's paper. Nur was smiling up at him, immaculate in her gold sandals and long white tunic, even her demure nose stud polished bright. Could piercings be demure? While he was still distracted with the question he snuck a peek. Thank God she'd passed.

"Here you are, dear" He said. "Looks like you'll be sitting the exam." He saw her suppressed sigh of relief. Nur was 17 if she was a day and there was only so long she could pretend to be a 14 year old student before they married her off and her opportunity for education ended.

Sometimes Merlin wished he cared less about his students. He enjoyed teaching maths and chemistry, though it bored him a little bit. It was the personalities of his students that made it interesting, but also what drained him. The thing was, he had a lot of love for people and animals - OK maybe animals more- but the well spring of himself, what couldn't be dried away by a long Monday, was made of something else. He liked to create things, to make things happen. He was always buzzing with ideas. Unfortunately although he was brilliant and had the scores to prove it, no one ever listened to him, really. Or maybe he never wanted to listen to them. It amounted to the same thing in the end.

The worst thing is it was the same thing in his personal life.

"I think it's what I look like" he moaned to Freya and Will over a pint at the local. "I have this twink look but I don't always like being overwhelmed by somebody with muscles, you know?" They rolled their eyes over his head. 

"Look mate," Will nudged Merlin's glass across the table for Freya to drink, "You need to sober up and get your bony arse somewhere it can get laid, 'cos me and Frey? We're tired of hearing it, right?"

"How about the Five and Five?" Freya asked, downing his pint in one go. Only half his height, she easily held twice his liquor. Merlin shook his head.

"No, no, yuppie suits. Hate suits" She frowned. 

"OK. I've heard good things about The Firebird" Freya was the art teacher, dark and diminutive and intense, she knew a lot about what "creative" people were up to, galleries and what not. Merlin groaned.

"God no. The only thing worse than Suits are the Arty ones. Please." 

"That's it. You're insulting Freya" Will was hauling him up by his collar. "You're paying for your pity party" He reached into Merlin's jacket and fished out some bills and threw them on the counter "then Frey and I will personally escort you to the Rising Sun where you will get laid or you will die trying" Merlin started to protest, but Will was already out the door. Merlin sighed. People always bossed him. This was exactly the kind of thing he was talking about.

The Rising Sun was a top flight club, which is why Merlin hadn't considered going there. It was expensive and exclusive. To his surprise, after a good looksie, the muscle bound bouncer let him in right away. Apparently long dark and twiggy was in again. Who knew?

Once he was at the bar and his senses had adjusted to the contrast of dizzying noise and not enough light, he saw that the traffic pattern in the club had an odd loop. Usually it was linear troop, liquor dance sex in the back room. Now there was a definite trail of guys cueing at a table by the bar, skipping the dance, and heading to the back in groups. There were only a handful now -Merlin had only spotted them because he noticed patterns better than most people - but they seemed to be laying trail for others to follow like a bunch of little gay ants. Was someone handing out drugs, raffle tickets, free stickers?

"Excuse me" he said to somebody of the leather and studs variety -SO not his thing- what's going on at that table?"

"You mean you can't see him?" the guy had a little beard too. Merlin really regretted the return of facial hair.

Merlin shook his head. "Must be hidden behind that pillar you're crushing there"

The guy, who come to think of it, was probably a really nice person, like a gardener or something who couldn't help having a leather kink, didn't rise to Merlin's tone. He smiled and pulled him upright so he could see past.

"See the good looking blond guy, right? He has a bowl in front of him. He's asking for volunteers to teach him how to give a blow job. You write down why you would be good at doing that, you know..

"You mean like a CV?" Merlin asked, aghast. The guy shrugged.

"I guess so. Anyway, you drop your bid in the bowl he reads ten at a time and every twenty minutes he picks two guys to go back with him  
Merlin took another look at BJ CV guy. He looked awfully crisp for someone engaged in an anonymous oral sex marathon. He had a close tailored white shirt, open at the neck with ..were those jeweled cufflinks? Even from here Merlin could tell he was handsome with unusual chiseled features and eyes bright enough he could tell they were blue from where he stood

The guy was obviously a total prat. The thing with the bowl was probably a disgusting ploy of some kind. Maybe one of those t.v. shows where they tricked people into doing dumb things on camera...was there an x rated version of one of those?Whatever it was Merlin was going to subvert it. With a little wave to leather guy, he stomped over to the table.

There were mutterings from the queue behind him. Prat guy held up one hand and they stopped.

"Can I help you" he asked. Merlin was glad he had worn his good jeans. this close the blond guy was even more attractive, the broad lines of his chest just visible through the shirt which was so finely woven it was nearly see through. His lips which were probably naturally full were obscenely swollen. The blow jobs at least were real. Merlin leaned close to enough to smell his aftershave

"Aren't I supposed to be helping you?" He asked

There's a procedure" Prat guy indicated the bowl and smirked.

"Why?" For the life of him Merlin couldn't figure out why all these people were doing what this twat said like it was the fucking law.

"Well as you would know if you had read the sign, I'm new to man on man sex and I would like to learn as efficiently as possible." 

"How about - oh i don't know - having a relationship with a man?"

"How's that working out for you?" The guy quirked a brow before making a show at looking for the person behind Merlin.

"Oh for crying out loud" Merlin grabbed his - large, manly, ringed- hand and pulled. If the bowl and table didn't go flying it was entirely due to pratman's grace, he would be the first to admit as he didn't fight Merlin, following him with a sinuous stride that was obviously second nature. Somehow they made it to the back room without incident although they had to walk down the entire line of applicants to get there. Merlin looked behind him to see how pratface took walking the gauntlet of stares he'd created with his own silly ruse, but if having his game blown bothered him, he didn't show it. He caught Merlin's eyes and flashed a disarming grin. 

"You're awfully lanky" he said, looking up and down with a patronizing eye "But I like your cute little arse" For some reason this compliment irritated Merlin more than the zinger about his own love life. When they got to the curtains in the back he pushed pratface with force. He went to his knees like a dream, eyes up wide and hungry. Merlin hardened instantly. He was going to fuck the self entitled ponce out of this man.

"What's your name?" Merlin asked, pulling at his belt with one hand on the white linen shoulder.

"Arthur" Arthur's voice sounded pleased and curious, not humiliated at all.

"Well Arthur," Merlin yanked his belt off, "I'm Merlin and if you want to suck my dick all you have to do is say so. There's enough bureaucracy at work, yeah?" He placed his hand under the chiseled jaw. To his surprise Arthur closed his eyes at the touch and rubbed like a cat. He opened his eyes under dark blond lashes and started to nuzzle at Merlin's cock. Merlin forgot all about his anger and sank his head back with a sigh. it was so good. A ring of applicants had pushed past the curtains and were watching them, but Merlin didn't care. After all, they had put in for the same job, right? Apparently Arthur didn't care either. he licked and slurped at Merlin's cock like he could come from it, engulfing Merlin's sac in one large hand while the other worked the base of Merlin's cock

"I don't believe you're a virgin for a second" Merlin said to the blond crown as it circled and bobbed over him, leaving pleasure in its wake, " Look at you, you kitty cat slut" Arthur opened his eyes and giggled. Merlin laughed too. Then he sank his voice low so it was just for Arthur. "You can take all of it . You know you don't need to pretend with me" And he began to pump ruthlessly into Arthur's beautiful mouth, watching him gag and drool while he felt Arthur's desperate swallowing coaxing him deeper. Arthur moaned over the gag, sending delicious vibrations up Merlin's dick into his spine.

Merlin had never given himself so unselfconsciously to sex before. It was odd, because this was also the most public sex he'd ever had, but somehow cracking Arthur's scheme had brought out his secret, most confident self. It occurred to him, as Arthur's hands cupped his clenching arse, that maybe Arthur wasn't a charlatan. Maybe he was some kind of role playing genius which made him what a bossy sub? A bending dom? Merlin didn't care because he was coming down Arthur's working throat and it was the best fucking orgasm of his life.

Ch. 3

Arthur swallowed the last of Merlin's release and rested panting for a second against his leg. God that was good. Sucking the other men, making them teach him and critique each other had been an extreme sport, the discomfort just part of the point in stretching himself to forget. Giving himself to Merlin, though, staring up at those mocking blue eyes, while the man ripped Arthur out of himself ....that was something he had to have again. The panicky feeling of choking on Merlin's cock had been a punishing pleasure he felt even now, hot potential in his groin.

The leg under his cheek spasmed. Arthur got up quickly, despite the akward bulge in his own jeans, sensing that Merlin was a crasher. Sure enough the domineering whistle blower of a moment ago was soon leaning heavily in his arms, a limp doll. 

"Mmm want to come back to mine?" he looked up at Arthur with what were suddenly the widest, most innocent eyes he'd ever seen. It was hard to tell in the gloom of the club, but Arthur was sure he would be a pure a contrast of black hair and white skin, the celtic type. Boy snow white. Delicious. Any doubts about whether he would enjoy shagging men in real life were definitely put to rest by the need he felt to touch that long body and shut that cheeky mouth with his.

"No. Sorry." Arthur zipped up Merlin's jeans for him. He folded the belt he found on the floor and gave Merlin's head a little tap with it. " You're coming to my bed. It needs rededicating." He saw Merlin gear up to protest, but Arthur was still hard. He wanted it more. When Arthur pulled his hand, he followed meekly.

 

Merlin revived a bit on the way home and he was just as provoking in the mundane atmosphere of the car as he was at the club.

"I can't believe you're wasting your money on a cab when there's a tube stop right by the club" he said looking around with a little frown

"I have a lot of money" Arthur reined Merlin's lanky body in until he was on his lap and started sucking on his neck. Merlin bent his head to accommodate the sucking without stopping talking

"Yeah, there's a shocker. the environment, though"  
Arthur bit down and Merlin yelped. "No talking till after I fuck you" he commanded.

"You can't just say that!"

"I just did"

By the time they reached Arthur's townhouse he'd discovered the only way to shut Merlin up was near constant snogging. As a consequence, after the driver roared off with more haste than was strictly polite, they were too involved to see where they were going. Staggering up the stairs to his bedroom, Arthur forgot to remember this was the first time he'd been there since he'd walked in on Lance and Gwen. All he could think was Merlin, naked, desk, fuck

No bra, no stockings, no hair do's, in seconds there was a naked man over Arthur's desk where he'd only had a woman before. Arthur pumped the desk chair that he kept just for this purpose until it was an easy reach, sat down and surveyed the lily white ass before him. He knew Merlin was probably a little uncomfortable, but his dominant side had been held in check a long time and now the urge to see and own was rushing out of him and claiming everything in Merlin as his

"Want to fuck you now" he said.

Merlin turned up his head, "There's a bed, you know" he said, not moving yet.  
Arthur ran flattened palms over his neck and back to quiet him, kneed his legs wider.

"I want to get a good look at your pretty little hole while I'm licking it and this works better."

Merlin whimpered at that and Arthur snorted with satisfaction. He prised Merlin's cheeks apart and looked his fill at Merlin there, rosy and wrinkled closed. He hadn't been fucking anyone else recently, Arthur bent a knuckle and twisted it into the clench. And brought it to his nose. It smelled musky but clean

"What the fuck are you doing" Merlin was trying to rear up now. Arthur pushed him back down, softening the display of strength with kisses up the pretty shoulders.

"I'm going to fuck you where you shit." he whispered. "That doesn't bother me. In fact I'd eat it if it tasted good, but it doesn't."

"Oh my God," muttered Merlin, "You're crazy" Arthur bent over him and started squeezing the globes of his ass, prizing the cheeks apart and licking striped down the taint till Merlin's voice subsided into a series of quiet little sobs.

Arthur loved doing this, loved how the secret center of someone opened to his his tongue. Or his dick. When guys he knew complained women didn't like anal sex, he'd always maintained a smug silence. Now with Merlin wasn't any different. he licked faster now, alternating broad swipes with fast lapping. He hardened his tongue and started flicking hard around the rim and sucking and spitting until it was like kissing a mouth. Merlin's musky scent filled him up. Arthur leaned back to look at his handiwork. Merlin was hiding his head in his arm, red spreading over his back. His hole unfurling and shiny, boneless and shivering. Athur tucked his hand under and gave Merlin's cock a few pulls, eliciting some moans. It wasn't enough for Arthur, though. He leaned over Merlin, biting gently on his buttocks and back.

"You're going to show me more, Merlin. Do you like taking it up the arse? Do you want me to fuck you with my tongue? Merlin groaned, obviously enjoying the sensations, but Arthur wasn't satisfied. It was a bit of an anonymous groan, he thought. He needed to see Merlin's face, look into those ever changing eyes like he had at the club. Arthur slapped Merlin's arse so the sound carried and, before Merlin could react Arthur was leaning over him, fisting his hair to turn his face. Merlin's pupils widened before Arthur's eyes. He started to pant and close his eyes under those beautiful lashes, but Arthur wanted to hear the words. He yanked once, harder. "Don't tell me all I had to do to shut you up was lay you over a desk"

"Shut up" Merlin craned his neck round, unconsciously

"why is there something I need to hear?"

"You fucking prat" Merlin mumbled. Arthur pretended not to hear. Stroking Merlin's cheek bones with one viscously gentle finger, he whispered hot breath into one ear

"I didn't catch that" 

"Get your cock in me, damn it" Merlin screamed. and slammed his body back into Arthur. Arthur laughed. This was more like it. He reached into the desk drawer for the lube, and the old condoms. Soon Merlin was fucking back onto his fingers, occasionally glaring over his shoulder suspiciously as if he expected Athur to pull a fast one. Arthur loved it. The moment he rolled the condom on with one expert hand, trying and failing not to remember it was the first time in two years he'd had to use the damn things, Merlin's hole was already swallowing his dick like he was made for it. He was powerful, pushing into Arthur and it was hot and good. Merlin was trying to direct the angle, which was probably just as well since Arthur was still learning his body, but Arthur fought it anyway Arthur fought for control of Merlin's hips, crushing the bones with his thumbs. He was grunting in time to the waves of pleasure and laughing because the rhythm and the slapping sound of their bodies reminded him of the suck of waves on the shore down the harbor. When he came it took him by surprise. He stilled for a long time, looking at the strange expanse of the man in front of him, jerking a little with the aftershocks of pleasure.

"Come on." Merlin said. Not unfriendly. "Finish me off you loud, selfish, hyena prick". 

Arthur shook his head. "No. you're too calm about it. It's not what you want" Merlin whined at that and tried to push back again but Arthur was stronger and he wouldn't have it. "You're so difficult" he said "I can tell you want something else. Why won't you tell me?" Merlin was quiet for a second. 

"Fine" he said, forcing the words out past his teeth. "I'd like to fuck you". It sounded like it cost him something to say that, so Arthur was gentle as he pulled Merlin off of the desk. He laid himself on the bed and splayed himself open, hands behind his knees, remembering how good it was when a girl spread and displayed herself for him. He'd never really held himself to be looked at like that before. Anything girls had done to him had been close, almost secret. And now this man wanted to look at him. Arthur liked it. It felt nice, dirty. He felt his cock stir again watching as Merlin opened the lube back up, staring at him like he had at the club.

"Go right ahead" he said from Gwen's place on the bed, looking up at the man kneeling where he had knelt. His heart raced faster. For the first time he thought "This. This is new." Merlin grinned down at him. The long cock he remembered from the club was red and leaking now. Definitely on the large side. Merlin held it in one hand considering, while he stroked circles of slick in Arthur's arse with a long elegant finger of the other. Arthur liked fingers, was used to his own fingers; he arched into the touch requesting more. Merlin's grin broadened.

"So kitten's back then, " he said. Arthur shook his head back and forth on the bed,  
"I'm a lion Merlin" His voice sounded breathy to himself. Merlin shrugged. 

"Sounds about right: big blond loud mouth, just waiting for someone else to do all the work"

"Shut up," Arthur breathed and then gasped. Merlin crooked his finger and Arthur knew it was just his prostate; it wasn't like he'd never felt it before. There had never been anything so long and so slow, though. He heard himself keen and Merlin showed his teeth.

"Gonna take you apart. You beautiful fucker'

 

When Merlin entered him it hurt. Arthur had expected it. He stared into Merlin's arrogant face willing him not to see a wince. Of course he paused.

"You want me to slow down?" He sounded solicitous. Arthur didn't want him to sound solicitous. He pushed Merlin's little rump till he'd taken the whole damn thing.

"A little pain never hurt anyone" he said, hoarse

"I'm pretty sure it does" 

"Nah, not the physical kind" Arthur pressed a finger into Merlin's mouth and enjoyed making him suck. "I thought you promised me I was gonna fall apart".

Merlin started to move inside of him in earnest then. One hand pressed behind Arthur's thigh to open him more, his eyes never leaving Arthur's.

Nothing had ever been like this. No one had ever touched that place on his thigh. He'd never been entered by another person before. Sure he'd been full of things a couple times-silicone things, wooden things, but...

Merlin was leaning over him now, panting into his mouth, breaths interspersed with kisses.

"Fuck you're so lovely. Being so good for me Arthur. Can't believe I get to fuck you. Out of all those assholes at that club you chose me. Mother of God, Arthur!"

Merlin was good at this. He stroked the right place inside of Arthur over and over and the burning had long since turned to fullness and pleasure. Arthur felt himself opening to it; it felt so good to give in. It felt so good to give. "Love making love to you, Arthur" Merlin kissed into his mouth.

"Love making love to you, Arthur" The words went straight to a surprised heart that thought nobody loved him and Arthur knew he was crumbling. As if it were coming from somewhere outside of him, the pain he'd pushed off occupied all the places inside of him, even where this man touched him, especially where Merlin was. Arthur felt himself start to cry. "Shit" Merlin stilled above him, wiping his tears with his thumbs, "You weren't lying; this really was your first time."

Arthur grit his teeth through his stupid crying, but wasn't quite able to stop it yet. He seized Merlins hands at the wrists.

"I told you" he said, "You just don't listen. But it's not that. They're just tears. Someone left me yesterday, OK?. That's all" He turned his head away to hide his expression, but Merlin turned it back again.

"Hey do you want to stop?" His face had gone all kind. It was infuriating. Arthur grabbed the hand the held him and took a healthy bit of the heel of it.

"Just make me feel good, Merlin. Damn it." 

 

Merlin kissed him long and filthy this time, almost bending him in two. Then he began to fuck Arthur with ruthless precision, stroking his cock and grunting with effort. It was good, as much pleasure as Arthur had had from sex, even with Gwen when they'd been so in love. They came at almost the same time.

Arthur's heart ached afterwards, but a little bit more like a bruise than a wound now, as if he'd had a good cry with a friend, which maybe he had. But good friends can't be distractions he thought as he sank into sleep. He'd have to give up the crying in the morning.

Ch. 4

Merlin awoke feeling warm, happy and ...crushed? He looked on his chest to see the source of the crushing, the beautiful blond guy from the club. Gently Merlin eased the silky head off of his chest, relieved that he was still sleeping. He needed a few minutes alone to process this.

First of all, the sex. yeah. By far and away the best he had ever had although also by far and away the very weirdest. When Arthur had smacked his arse and held him by the hair he'd almost creamed. But then the pushy pushy mother fucker had interrupted everything just when he was about to go off and...

It was the very thing that made him afraid to see those bright blue eyes snap open, like horror movie afraid. Arthur had listened to him, had demanded to hear his secret desires, wouldn't accept anything less than absolute honesty. It was terrifying. And then the guy had cried. Probably having a sexuality crisis after his girl friend left him. At least Merlin Assumed the "someone " Arthur had referred to was a girl.

Merlin felt a little guilty for not believing the guy about being new to sex with men. He'd come right out and said so to GQ public after all. But who would have the brass balls to have such aggressive sex the first time out? Was this a sign this bloke was really wonky and Merlin should stay away? But he was really hot, gay virgin or not. Anyway, that was definitely not the first time' Arthur had given a rim job. Thinking about how good that had been sent a hot ribbon straight to his cock and distracted him from consulting his brain. Bloody hell, he should have drunk more. Because Merlin was 100% sure that he was going to have sex again before he figured out whether or not he wanted to leave. He had a sense for these things.

Sure enough as if Merlin's cock were his actual alarm clock, Arthur opened his eyes and stared at Merlin. His smile was blinding, making Merlin wonder if the other ones had really been Arthur. His eyes dropped the Merlin's cock and his smile turned smirky.

"Don't even bother freaking out until I've practiced some more on that thing" Arthur's hot hot mouth was taking him in and apparently Arthur remembered his lessons because he lapped under the head and sucked his cheeks hollow until Merlin screamed and came a mere 3 minutes later.

"You want me to do you?" he asked, all cockeyed, feeling it would be polite to try at least, though he felt like rubber. Arthur just jeered at him.

"Nah. You're not up to it. I want you to watch me wank. Gonna come on those killer cheek bones." Merlin, apparently now acclimatized to weirdo kinky previously straight guys and their odd ideas about sex just rolled to his side and enjoyed the view without blushing. It was kind of nice really. Arthur had a nice cut cock. The head especially was very fat and he was almost Merlin's length but much thicker. He ground his hips up into his hand and the meaty cap of him appeared and disappeared while Arthur started to strain and grunt a little, pink spreading over his cheeks and chest. Just when Merlin was about to wonder what he probably tasted like and if it would be awkward to join in, Arthur spurted and came, as promised all over Merlin's face.

"Pah!" he shouted. Arthur just laughed and smeared it in before getting up to run to what was probably an en suite. Merlin watched his perfect peachy arse and broad back as he walked completely shamelessly across the room He took his time peeing, the spoilt prick before coming back with a flannel. 

He also came back fully dressed, much to Merlin's disappointment, in a suit and tie, no less. Not that he didn't look good. The suit was obviously bespoke, which was cheating, really. He was wearing a lilac shirt that did something for his eyes and he seemed, well, authoritative. Merlin had always thought he found authoritative men, repulsive, but apparently there were exceptions.

"What no more rebound sex for me?" he asked, leaning back and giving himself a little stroke because Arthur made him brash and say things out loud he normally kept to himself. Arthur snorted. Now that he was dressed he looked tenser. 

"Rebound?"

"Yeah, you said someone left, remember?" Arthur grit his teeth and clenched his fists.

"We're not talking about my ex or any things else that's none of your business, Merlin" Merlin found himself getting annoyed. How could he have forgotten that he'd only dragged Arthur for that blow job in the first place because he badly needed an attitude correction?"

"I think it is my business if you're gong to cry about it while I'm fucking you." he pointed out. For the briefest second, Arthur's eyes flickered with hurt before they darkened.

"People store stress in their muscles, Merlin. You stretched me out, I relieved a little stress. It's nothing. Cheaper than a massage" Merlin felt his teeth snap. He started to pull on clothes.

"You're lying. We were good together. You felt it. I felt it. You opened up to me and something fell out. I don't mind. I really don't, but I'm not going to pretend that piece of your life wasn't lying there between us."

"I met you in a club less than 24 hours ago, Merlin. You know nothing about me You were the 6th blow job I gave that night, for Christ's Sake!"

"Well I wouldn't brag about it!"

"I didn't notice you being so scrupulous when you were fucking my mouth for an audience!" Merlin thrust his head through his shirt so viciously his ears hurt.

"That's different."

"Oh, so when you came back to mine that wasn't about easy sex, right. You did it because you care about me as a person." 

"I like you, all right. Is that so hard to believe?" Merlin was shouting now. He hadn't really known it was true till he said it. "Well or I can't stand you. I'm not sure which. But anyway, I care about your ex story, OK? I want to know what you're rebounding from." He paused, whispering the rest of what he wanted to say, "I'd like to see you again"

Arthur was staring at him, assessing. There was an awkward moment before he shrugged.

"All right, but no pity, please" Merlin snickered

"Believe me. I pity her putting up with you so long" Arthur shook his head.

"I really don't think you will". He laughed ruefully. "You see I was going to ask her to marry me. I had the ring and everything, but I was waiting till I knew I had done something she would respect. I'd had an idea for something amazing, that would change the world. I was very proud of myself as you can imagine.

Merlin snorted but his eyes stayed on Arthur, searching his face for whatever had made him fall apart the night before. Icy eyes and chiseled jaw gave nothing away. "Anyway " Arthur looked away for a second. Merlin knew he was censoring something "To make a long story short, I found out that she preferred my best friend who is still nobler than me no matter how many revolutions I fund because being holier than thou is his speciality. Also he's abnormally good looking."

"What was the idea?"

"What?" 

"What was your idea that's going to change the world?"

Arthur stared at Merlin for a long second as if seeing him for the first time. he looked more beautiful than ever, his blond hair bright against the dark suit, the bones in his face clear and strong. He shook his head.

"Right. Well I don't know if you're really interested, but I figured out a way to process solar panels, more quickly, more cheaply and with greater flexibility."

"Oh. Wow." Merlin was stunned. It had been a long time since anyone had appealed to the scientist in him. He tried to think of what that process probably looked like, what could make a solar panel more flexible. After a second he became aware of Arthur staring at him, his expression completely closed.

"Anyway, I seem to have bored you with talk of work. I'm afraid I have to go."

Merlin wanted to kick himself. He'd been so busy imagining what Arthur was working on he'd forgotten to show his interest. 

"No, no please" he placed a hand on Arthur's arm to hold him back. Arthur looked at his hand but didn't move. "I'm curious," Merlin went on, "If this is silicone and glass you're talking about, have you thought of using the factories right here in your neighborhood? They' were all glassworks, you know and I've noticed the equipment in some."

The smile Arthur gave him now showed the measure of all Arthur had been holding back before. It was bright and bold and it belonged, Merlin knew, to the person who had shed tears beneath him the night before.

"Merlin" he said. Merlin had never heard his name in someone else's mouth like that before, like there was an unspoken "Yes, finally!" in it. Arthur's grin, grew, unbelievably wider, "Merlin I think I can spare a few minutes before I have to go in. Would you like to have brunch with me at all?" Merlin laid his hand on his arm.

"Is this business or pleasure?" Arthur took his arm and tucked it under his, which was a little alarming, but his face was mild as he said,

"You know if you find the right people, it's really the same thing."

**Author's Note:**

> This is the end of act one. Act two it all falls apart. I tidied it up, though, in case I never write Acts 2 and 3 because I know I hate to be left hanging.


End file.
